Trump Denounces Drone Attack on Indian Ships in Hormuz Strait

Trump's Strong Condemnation

On Friday, US President Donald Trump expressed his strong disapproval of what he termed a drone strike targeting Indian vessels departing from the Strait of Hormuz. He labeled the incident as "completely unacceptable" and urged those accountable to "get their act together, and FAST." In a message posted on Truth Social, Trump stated, "Their drone attack last night against Indian ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. They better get their act together, and FAST!" However, he did not provide any supporting evidence for his claims nor did he clarify which ships were involved. As of the time of this report, Iranian officials had not responded to the accusations.

This incident occurs amid a series of US military operations in the area that have affected three oil tankers with numerous Indian sailors aboard. On June 8, US forces disabled the Palau-flagged tanker Marivex, which had 24 Indian crew members on board, all of whom were rescued unharmed. Just two days later, another Palau-flagged vessel, Settebello, was struck in a US operation, resulting in the deaths of three crew members, all Indian. Additionally, a third ship, Jalveer, flying the Guinea-Bissau flag and carrying 20 Indian sailors, was also attacked on Thursday.

Earlier that same day, India formally protested to US charge d’affaires Jason Meeks regarding the three assaults on merchant vessels with Indian sailors near the coast of Oman. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed its "deep concern over the use of lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping" during their meeting.